Formality of celebrating International Women’s Day is fulfilled every year in every parts of the world on 8th March and same holds good for the Jammu & Kashmir state known world over as one of the major conflict zones but without showing any concern for settling issues concerning empowerment of women helmsmen restrict the celebrations to traditional debates and panel discussions. Just for the reasons of vote bank politics power wielding politicians cry for reservation in election time but oppose reservation to women legislative bodies on man-made aspects like religion and cast after coming to power. Just couple of days back the Congress President Rahul Gandhi promised 33% reservation for women in both the parliament and as well as state legislatures if his party his voted to power in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections but history is witness to fact once political parties come to power they play more politics and focus less on consensus over reservation of women in parliament and state legislatures. In Jammu & Kashmir the mainstream politicians too talk about the 33% reservation of women in legislative bodies of the state including the two houses of state legislature- legislative assembly (LA) and legislative council (LC) for last several years but consensus over the issue continues to elude them. Fact remains that political parties contesting assembly and parliamentary elections don’t even fulfil formality of women-quota by giving tickets from reserved quota to women .
Knowing that even the previous Mehbooba led PDP-BJP government did not bother to move forward even with the presentation of draft bill on the legislative empowerment of women in the state assembly until June last year when BJP withdrew support to PDP and governor’s rule was imposed in the state, it is quite clear that the Mehbooba Mufti despite being the first woman chief minister of the state was least bothered about the legislative empowerment of women in Jammu & Kashmir state.
When women-quota in panchayats and local bodies have been increased to 50-percent from earlier 33-percent, it is meaningless to resist 33-percent reservation to women in legislature. Rather there should be uniform 33-perecent reservation for women at all stages from civic bodies to Parliament. As far as Jammu & Kashmir state is concerned neither much debated 33-percent reservation for women has neither been raised in the legislative assembly (LA)-the lower house of the state legislature nor the legislative council (LC) the upper house of the state legislature. Irony of the fact is that the in the dissolved legislative assembly –a house of 87 members had have even half a dozen women members and worst is the case with the legislative council-the upper house of the state legislative. Keeping in view the track record of previous governments on commitment to reservation of women in parliament and state legislatures even naives won’t expect the new government to take any step for furthering the cause of women’s empowerment in the parliament and state legislatures. Knowing that even the previous Mehbooba led PDP-BJP government did not bother to move forward even with the presentation of draft bill on the legislative empowerment of women in the state assembly until June last year when BJP withdrew support to PDP and governor’s rule was imposed in the state, it is quite clear that the Mehbooba Mufti despite being the first woman chief minister of the state was least bothered about the legislative empowerment of women in Jammu & Kashmir state.
